Yahoo on the hunt for a new COO

Now that Yahoo has its new CEO Marissa Mayer, the company is kicking off the search for a new COO. Yahoo isn't looking for any old chief operating officer; the company is on the lookout for someone with skills in turning around ailing companies. According to AllThingsD, recruiting firm Spencer Stewart has been reaching out to executives on Yahoo's behalf.

That same recruiting firm is also working with Yahoo to find a number of other executives that the ailing search company needs. On the COO front, Spencer Stewart is said to be not only reaching out to Silicon Valley executives; it's also said to be reaching out to executives who aren't in the technology industry right now. According to reports, the candidates who have been contacted have been told the company is looking for a top executive that has a focus on restructuring and finance, presumably for the COO spot.

It's unclear if the recruiting firm is specifically saying Yahoo is looking for a new COO or if the assumption is simply that the new top executive would be number two at the company. Yahoo continues to be under scrutiny from investors and Wall Street as Mayer changes things up at the technology firm in an attempt to turn the company around. The hiring of a new COO would presumably allow Mayer to focus on products at Yahoo while the COO focuses more on the business side of the company.

Will The consensus on the future fate of Yahoo is cloudy at best. Mayer and others at Yahoo may be able to turn the ailing search company around, but most expect the turnaround to come at the price of massive layoffs. AllThingsD reports that Mayer has also reached out personally to former colleagues at Google and elsewhere in the search for talent to help turn Yahoo around.

[via AllThingsD]